The principal problem addressed in this research concerns the quality of care of young diabetic children in the home. Such care, indicated by the level of the child's compliance with a medical regimen, is seen as related to the parent's prognosis of the disease and expectations as to how "normal" the diabetic's life can be. Parental expectations of normalcy are formed by physicians' attitudes concerning prognosis of diabetes as the doctors prescribe for juvenile diabetics and instruct parents as to their care. Parental expectations are also influenced by historical influences such as prior experiences with diabetes, type of onset of illness, level of present knowledge of diabetes, and interactions with physicians prior to the illness. The exploratory research proposed would examine the interrelationship of the above variables through interviews with young diabetic children, parents, and both primary-care physicians and diabetic specialists. Structured questions would tap reported compliance with a medical regimen. Less-structured questions would probe parental expectations, parent-physician relationships, and ways in which family life is affected by a chronic illness. The research holds immediate practical implications for improvement of the quality of care of young diabetics and further implications for subsequent research in the area of the family's reaction to a chronic illness.